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Splitwise: Best Way to Split Trip Expenses With Friends

• Digital Payments

When splitting travel expenses with friends, it’s always wise to have some kind of system so that you don’t overlook anything. It’s funny that even with the convenience of money-sharing apps, you may still find yourself transferring the same $6 back and forth to each other during an entire trip. That is until one of you gives up or decides that you should compute your full expenses first and split later. Well, thanks to a bill splitting app called Splitwise, you don’t have to go through this anymore.

Splitwise allows you to take into account every trip expense you’ve made as a group and split it in a way that is convenient for everybody involved. Learn everything about it in this guide.

What Is Splitwise?

Splitwise is an app that lets you keep track of shared expenses and settle your corresponding balances in a convenient and personalized way. You can use it to split the rent, household bills, or travel expenses whether it’s with one person or ten.

You can use the app on your mobile device or on your web browser. The app is directly linked to money-sharing services like Venmo and PayPal, but there are other ways to settle up balances as well. It’s free and it takes away a lot of hassle when going on a group trip! You will find out more details of its features below.

How to Use Splitwise for Group Trips

You may be planning a big vacation with your family or just a weekend trip with a few friends. If you’ve already done this before, you’re likely aware of how this can cause conflict on top of the stress of deciding where to eat, sleep, or what to visit first. Splitwise can at least take away the financial aspect of these travel-related stressors.

Here’s how to use Splitwise for group trips.

Download Splitwise and Sign Up

First, each of you must sign up and have the app so you can add each other and create your group. The app is available for Apple and Android devices, and as mentioned, you can also use it on your laptop. Download the app and sign up. You would need to provide your name, your email address, and create a password.

Download Splitwise for Android

Download Splitwise for Apple

Use Splitwise on your web browser

Create a Trip

Once you’ve all signed up and have the app on your device, you can now create a trip and manage your group expenses for that trip. Only one person needs to create a trip. On the app’s Home page, you will see the Add friends option on the upper right corner of the screen. When you tap on that, Splitwise will ask to access your contacts and it will show you all your friends who have signed up. Look for each person in your group and add them as friends.

After adding your friends, tap on the “Groups” option on the lower portion of the screen and choose “Start a group” on the upper right. You will see four options under Group Type: Apartment, House, Trip, and Other. Select Trip and type in a name for that group trip. As you can see in the photo, the example says NYC Trip.

Once done, you will now see several options to manage your travel expenses for that trip. Tap on Add members then select your friends or you can share a link to them which you can send via SMS, email, or other messaging apps. When they click on that link, they will accept your invitation and will then be added to the group. You can even add a photo to your group trip!

Add Expenses

You can now add your expenses. To simplify this process, it is recommended that you log each expense right after; for example, after each meal or after booking a flight. While you are on your group’s screen, tap on the plus (+) button to add an expense. Enter a description and the amount for that particular expense. Below that, you can choose who paid for the expense first and how you want to split it.

If you choose to split equally, Splitwise will automatically compute how much each member of your group owes. Alternatively, you can tap on the “equally” button and then enter each person’s bill. You can even use the percentage option if you want someone to pay for 60% of the bill, for example. The app will then calculate the exact amount that each person needs to settle for later.

Add People to Each Expense Item

If not everybody is involved in a particular expense, you can select certain people under the same menu. Simply tick the check box on their names or tap on the “add-subtract” (+/-) icon.

View Balances

To view your balances, navigate to your group’s page again on Splitwise, and tap on Balances, located beside the “Settle Up” button on the top of the screen. In the example photo, you can see that one person owes $132 in total and the others are all settled up. If other people have not settled up, every person in your group will also be able to see how much each of them owes. If someone still owes a certain amount, anyone can tap on the Remind button to send a reminder for them to settle up.

On the other hand, if you are the one who owes the money, you can tap on Settle Up and choose from the payment options to take care of your balance. You can see an in-depth guide on settling balances below.

View Your Remaining Balance

During, before, or after your trip, you will have full access to your balances as well as everyone else’s by navigating to your group’s trip page on Splitwise. You will see each expense, the date when that expense was made, and who was involved in that expense. If you don’t owe something from that particular expense, you will see “not involved” beside it like in the example above of a New Orleans group trip. If you are involved, you will see “you borrowed” and the amount that you owe written in orange. You will also see the name of the person from whom you owe that amount.

How to Settle Up Your Balance

As mentioned, you can settle up balances as you go or settle them all up after the trip. The process is the same.

Settle Each Balance or All Balances

Under Groups, you will see your trips and the total balance you owe. When you tap on a trip, you will see an option to “Settle all balances.” While there is no option to settle your balance for each expense, you can use the same Settle Up option to pay a portion of what you owe. Once you click on Settle Up, Splitwise will let you choose how you want to pay for that balance.

Use Third-Party Apps

You can also use other third-party apps that are not directly linked to Splitwise to settle your balance. This can be anything from any bank’s money transferring services or other mobile payment apps . If you and your friend both have Wells Fargo as your bank, for example, you can simply use Wells Fargo’s Zelle service.

The only difference is you will have to go out of the Splitwise app and use Wells Fargo’s app to send the money. The process is the same if you want to use other apps such as Apple Pay , Samsung Pay, Xoom, and so on. However, Splitwise will not record that payment automatically. You will have to manually record it as a “cash payment,” which is discussed below.

Record a Cash Payment

Whether you have settled up all or some balances in cash or used another third-party up, you can still record that payment on Splitwise. The app will then calculate your remaining balance. Under the same Settle Up screen, select Record a cash payment then enter the amount that you have paid to your friend. Click on save and Splitwise will now acknowledge that you have settled your balance.

Payment Methods

You can use any of the payment methods below or even use a non-affiliated third-party app.

If you choose PayPal as your payment method on Splitwise, it will ask you to log in with your PayPal credentials. It may ask you to verify your identity if you have enabled two-factor authentication (2fa). After logging in, you will see the same interface as the PayPal app. Then, confirm which credit or debit card or bank account linked to your PayPal that you want to use.

To use Venmo as your payment method, you must have signed up for the service and have had the Venmo app installed on your device. If you are using a browser, all you would need are your Venmo credentials.

Select Settle Up and choose Venmo. Splitwise will then ask you to open up the Venmo app. In the photo below it, you can see the amount owed and that the payment is for Splitwise. Tap on Pay on the lower right of the screen then select which linked credit or debit card or bank account you want to use for that payment. Confirm it and the money will be transferred to your friend’s bank account.

You can also go directly to your Venmo app and use certain features like Venmo Groups or group Venmo to settle your balance. This is especially useful if you would like to make payments to other people in your group as well.

Why Use Splitwise for Group Travel

Unlike other bill splitter apps, Splitwise is so convenient because of the way you can organize your travel expenses. As you can see from the features above, everything is so detailed, and settling up balances is very convenient. There are many payment options that you can use even though it is only directly linked to PayPal and Venmo.

The ability to record cash payments is a huge plus. This way, one person can look at the receipt after each meal, each museum visit, or flight booking, and record how much money each person owes. It makes traveling with a group smoother and helps you avoid conflicts with each other.

Splitwise is also a great tool for those who share rent. It’s a fantastic rent split calculator whether you are sharing a room or an apartment with one person or several people. As you can see from the photos above, there is an option called “Others” so you can use it for whichever purpose you want that requires splitting bills. It is so easy to use as well. All you would need is your Splitwise login and your linked mobile payment apps. You do not need to link your bank accounts directly to Splitwise.

Other App Features

Here are some other features of the Splitwise app that can be handy not just for group trips but also for other purposes that require bill splitting.

Equal or Unequal Splits

We’ve mentioned above that you have the option to split payments unequally. For example, one person can pay 60% of the balance, another person can pay 20%, and so on. Or you can also enter the exact amount for each person’s share.

Recurring Expenses

You can also use Splitwise to split bills for recurring expenses such as power bills, water bills, or entertainment services like streaming services. Use the “Others” option on your Group page to organize these expenses just like you would for a trip.

Offline Mode

You don’t always need to have your data on or a WiFi connection to record expenses or payments on Splitwise. You can work offline and once you are connected to the internet, Splitwise will automatically sync all changes you’ve made offline. This goes for each member of your group as well.

Exporting Reports

Under your Group’s page where you can see the options Settle Up and Balances, you swipe left and tap on the very last option which is Export. It will show you a detailed report of all the expenses and your shares for those expenses. Tap on the upper-right icon and you can either save it to your device or send it through email or other messaging services.

Several Languages and Currencies

If you are traveling abroad, you may want to record your expenses and payments under a different currency. Splitwise also allows you to choose from over 100 currencies, which makes it even more convenient! If you have friends who speak different languages other than English, they can change their language settings on their apps without affecting yours. You can do the same for yourself.

These are just some of the other features of Splitwise aside from it being a great tool to use for group trips.

Splitwise Pro Subscription

The app has an optional Pro version, which gives you some more perks that are not offered in the free version. Splitwise Pro is available for roughly $2 a month if you choose a monthly subscription. You can also sign up for a discounted yearly plan, which costs around $29 annually.

To sign up, go to your Account page by tapping on the lower right corner of the screen and select Splitwise Pro. The payment will be made via your linked Google or Apple account on your mobile device. If you are using the app directly from your browser, you would have to sign in to one of those accounts and use the same payment method you use for the Play Store or App Store.

Although the ads for the basic Splitwise app are not exactly too annoying, some people may want a completely ad-free app. If you want to remove these ads, you can sign up for the pro version and never see them again.

Receipt Scans

Instead of manually typing each bill, you can use the app to scan your receipts and it will automatically record that as an expense. All you have to do is enter a description or a name for it.

Charts and Graphs

The free version allows you to export reports but if you plan to use Splitwise regularly, you may want to see more detailed information about your expenses. The Pro version offers this option, complete with charts and graphs.

Saving Splits

This is a great tool for recurring expenses. Instead of manually entering your expenses each month, for example, you can save them as “recurring splits,” and all you have to do is settle up at the date that your payments are due.

Search Function for Expenses

Unlike in the free version, Splitwise Pro lets you search for specific expenses and not just the Group names. Enter the name of the expense or any term from that particular expense and the app will search your entire records for it. It helps you keep track and manage your bills more easily.

Splitwise App Advantages and Disadvantages

• Extremely detailed and organized
• Highly personalized
• Adding friends from contacts to form a group
• Customizing how you want to split bills whether equally or unequally
• Sorting expenses and categorizing them
• Only directly linked to Venmo and PayPal
• Need to get the Pro version for more features

Splitwise is truly a convenient app to split bills not just for group trips but also for everyday expenses. Try it now for free and make your next group travel as hassle-free as possible!

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3 Great Apps To Easily & Fairly Split A Bill Among Several People [iPhone]

Nothing can spoil a great group lunch or dinner than having to spend quality time calculating the cost of splitting the bill. Sure it's easy when you split the cost between yourself and your girlfriend or boyfriend, but what happens when you have more than five people in the group? You could use a calculator or the old pen and paper method, but if you have a iPhone or other iOS device, there are apps.

Nothing can spoil a great group lunch or dinner than having to spend quality time calculating the cost of splitting the bill. Sure it's easy when you split the cost between yourself and your girlfriend or boyfriend, but what happens when you have more than five people in the group?

You could use a calculator or the old pen and paper method, but if you have a iPhone or other iOS device, there are apps that make splitting up expenses less of a chore and are even more accurate than the mental calculations we perform. There are several such apps in the iTunes Store.

>Tip Calculator Free

Tip Calculator Free not only manages the splitting of the bill, but will also figure out the waiter's and waitress's tip as well. While this can be easily done on an iPhone calculator, Tip Calculator does it faster, and is better to look at.

To use the app, all you have to do is input the Check Amount, select the number of people to split the payment, and then select the quality of the service you receive from the waiter or waitress.

The service quality feature means that your tip can be based on 5 to 50% of the bill. Tip Calculator allows you to split the bill between up to 50 people, or you can select no split and use it simply for tip calculation.

Trip Splitter

If you're needing to split expenses for a trip you take with two or more people, Trip Splitter Lite is an app you should give a try.

With Trip Splitter, you have presets for dividing up lodging, gas, transportation, food, entertainment, supplies, and your own set of custom expenses.

To use the app, you set up a name for a new trip, and then add the names of the people you will be splitting expenses with. Next, you add an expense item, such as gas, and either calculate the amount for each time you purchase gas or for the total amount of gas expenses. Tip Splitter also allows you to keep tabs on who paid, and even how they paid - e.g. cash, credit, debit.

Expenses are categorized into items and days, and each person and item gets color-coded for easy visual reading. The paid version ($1.99) of the app allows you to handle up to six people. The free version allows for two people.

SpotMe Payments

The newest app in this personal finance category is SpotMe Payments. It's geared toward groups of people that you may share expenses with on a regular basis, such as roommates, family, co-workers, and close friends.

With SpotMe, you set up groups for sharing expenses, and then add individuals - including their phone number or email, and photo - from your Address Book, Facebook and Twitter account

SpotMe enables you to split and track bills, lend and borrow money, and send out regular reminders. It is fairly easy and straightforward to use.

Let us know that you think about these and other bill splitting apps. Do you have a favorite one on your iPhone that you use?

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Easy splitting of group expenses

The simplest way to calculate who owes what, smartly manage debts between friends.

Kittysplit is the easiest way to share bills with friends. Period. No registration, no password, totally free.

Here's an example

Jack, Jane and John go on a skiing weekend together. Jack pays for the ski-hire; Jane pays the hotel; John pays for dinner.

Now who owes what?

Jack creates a kitty on Kittysplit and adds his own expenses one at a time.

Sharing the kitty

Once he's finished, Jack sends an email with a link to the kitty. John and Jane can enter what they paid.

Settling up

Everyone can then see how much they owe and to whom. They can settle up and get on with the fun things in life.

Kittysplit works on all platforms 🐱

It just works on every device that has a decent browser. No apps required.

Trip Splitter 4+

Track shared expenses, dc software arts, designed for ipad.

• #113 in Travel
• 4.4 • 61 Ratings

Screenshots

Description.

Breezily split expenses with travel companions. In seconds. It takes mere seconds to create a new trip and add participants. When you split a bill, simply pop open the app, enter each participants costs, and the IOU’s are calculated and stored. And at any point, just request the Totals menu item to see the simplest number of payments for everyone to get even, or send a quick email to participants with the breakdown of costs. Our customers say it all: 5 Stars! "Works great - perfect app!" 5 Stars! "Easy to use and fun" 5 Stars! "Makes group travel a snap!" I love it! I've tested out at least 8 other travel apps and this one is so easy to use and intuitive. Chosen for "App of the Week" review by abcnews.go: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/06/app-of-the-week-trip-splitter/ Main features: - Unlimited number of participants - Add participant photos for added fun - Create even or uneven splits - Enter quantities owed or paid in under 6 seconds - Categorize expenses with the touch of an icon - Supports all country currencies, multiple currencies in a single trip, and the very large numbers required by some currencies - Totals View at any time to see totals by categories and persons, and the IOUs for evening-up - Email participants a very detailed list of spendings Special features: - Geo-locate all your spendings on a map - Attach photos of receipts or events - Record individual payments between people - View daily expenses and totals - Switch between concurrent trips - Email and web support PLUS TONS MORE—as you continue your trip, you’ll reveal how much functionality our app has and how stress-free your trip can be!

Version 4.0.7

4.0.7 fixes a crash when switching trips and fixes various iPad screen layout problems.

Ratings and Reviews

Must have for group travel.

I’ve been using this app for more than 10 years now, and it is a must have for travel with friends and family. It makes it easy to track/split out costs, even with multiple currencies within one trip. The only downside is that it depends on one person, being the keeper of the expenses, rather than sharing a trip with all the travelers to update as you go.

Great App - Wish It Was More Robust

Overall great app and I’ve used it for years amongst friends. The currency setup/conversion is a bit confusing and I wish there were some UX enhancements and that this was cloud based and could be shared across multiple users. Have used this app for groups as small as 2 to 15 people. It definitely is a bit harder to use with larger groups but still works fine.

Great App!!!

I love this app! It is easy to input expenses during a trip with plenty of detailed information. The app clearly tracks expenses by day, by category (gas, lodging, food, etc) and by traveler so that it is easy to settle/even up at the end of the trip. The app also creates simple reports to email from within the app to all travelers included in the trip expenses. Thank you for creating and maintaining this app.

App Privacy

The developer, DC Software Arts , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Developer Website
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Family Sharing

Up to six family members can use this app with family sharing enabled., more by this developer.

Trip Splitter Lite

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Connect Friends

The 6 best apps for splitting bills with friends.

Grabbing pizza and beer with friends used to mean emptying your wallets in order to come up with enough cash so that everyone in your party could contribute to the bill. But of course this led to many awkward conversations about exactly how to split the bill, and what to do if someone couldn’t pay their share. 

These days, with platforms like Zelle and Apple Pay, credit cards, and countless bill-splitting apps, carving up a restaurant bill has never been easier. No matter what form of payment you’re using, it’s arguably the apps that have been a game-changer. Some apps are designed specifically for dining out, while others work better for roommates sharing living costs, or splitting the costs of group travel. The best part? These apps can drastically cut down on the number of money transfers each person has to make, and almost completely eliminates the headachy math.

No, bill-splitting apps won’t entirely eliminate those awkward money conversations from your life, but the transparency these apps offer should hopefully take the sting out of these convos and help everyone you’re eating with, traveling with, or living with feel they’re paying exactly what they owe — and not a penny more. 

Here’s the skinny. 

Splitwise (iOS, Android, web-based)

This app gets top marks for versatility and functionality because it covers different kinds of situations, like dividing expenses with a roomie or significant other, splitting a restaurant bill, or taking a trip with friends. It works especially well for activities over time like a monthly grocery bill, utility share, or vacation. 

How it works: Create groups for each activity, and the app keeps a running tally for each group of everyone’s IOUs and who’s paid what along the way. You can split evenly or unevenly by percent or shares.  

For example, let’s say you take a trip with three friends. Everyone can see the shared expenses listed, and each person’s balance goes up and down as the app tracks costs over time. It also tells each person who they owe. At the end of the month, it sends reminder notices of what is owed, but a group can settle up whenever they choose. We love that the app interfaces with Venmo and PayPal since many people already use one or both. Or if someone pays in cash, the recipient can record a cash payment in the app. 

If you want to be able to scan receipts or convert currency on an international trip, you’ll need the pro version . 

Cost: The free version will work for most people (there are periodic ads to watch). The pro version costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 per year (no ads). 

Settle Up (iOS, Android, Windows, web-based)

Like Splitwise, this app keeps track of a group’s expenses—roommates sharing costs or buddies taking a trip—and automatically calculates who owes how much. 

How it works: In the free version, you log in and create a group. You can then decide how to divide payments—equally, by share, or by specific amounts for each individual—and the entire group can see who owes what. That might be all you need. 

If you’re doing more complicated transactions over time with a significant other, the paid version allows you to upload receipts, manage recurring transactions, and create expense categories for better budgeting. In this version, you can also convert currency during international travel. 

Cost: The free version will work for most people (again, periodic ads to watch). The premium version costs for $0.99 a month or $10.99 per year (no ads). 

Splid (iOS, Android)

“Split bills, not friendships” – that’s Splid’s tag line. This app is well suited to group travel but also works for roomies and relationships. It includes 150 currencies and works on and offline (in those travel dead zones). Plus, you can download expense summaries in Excel or a PDF. 

How it works: Add up all the group expenses and divide among the members for easy payment. Multiple members can be added to an expense. So, for example, say two people cover the cost of a boat tour for five, add all five to the expense, and the app will tally who owes how much to whom. No need to register for an account, a feature that people especially like.  

Cost: free 

Plates by Splitwise (iOS)

If you already use Splitwise, this integrated free app is designed specifically for dining out. It gets rave reviews for its ease-of-use functionality, and the visuals make it a snap to use. 

How it works: Everyone in the group gets their own “plate” and you drag their menu items to their plate. If several people share something like an appetizer or dessert, those items can be shared among those plates (or among the whole group if ordered that way). If two people are paying together, their plates can be “stacked.” The app calculates tax and tip portions, and notifies users by email or text of their total. A couple limitations: it limits group size to 10 and it’s only available on iOS. 

Tab (iOS, Android)  

An alternative to Plates, this dining-out app steps in for Android users and larger groups. It allows you to upload a photo of the receipt so each person can access the same bill from their phones and claim their items. In fact, it’s one of the few apps that allows you to upload a photo for free. 

How it works: Each person taps the items they ordered from the receipt, or, if sharing, multiple people can tap the same item and the cost gets divvied up. Tax and tip also are split up proportionately. Tab keeps activity synced in real time, and individualized totals go out to each person. 

The app interfaces with Venmo for easy payment or allows you to record a cash payment from someone. One thing to know—Tab doesn’t allow uploading older photos of receipts from your camera roll to square up later, so you’ll want to handle splitting the bill in the moment.

Venmo (iOS, Android)

Just in case you don’t already use Venmo, here’s the rundown. 

How it works: Venmo lets you send to and request payment from another person. It’s not a bill-splitting app, per se, but it’s a snap to pay back or be reimbursed for an expense by adding your bank account or a debit card for no-fee transfers. Your roomie covered groceries? Do the math and pay your share. And don’t forget, it interfaces with other apps like Splitwise and Tab. 

More Must-Have Apps:

• 8 Free Productivity Apps
• 4 Best Money Management Apps for Couples
• 10 Money Management Apps That Will Save You Money

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Track travel expenses and split costs with friends

Organize your spending and group travel budget with our free travel expense and budgeting app.

Track travel expenses

Split travel expenses with friends, see breakdown of your expenses, stay organized with categories, converts to any currency.

4.9 on App Store, 4.7 on Google Play

Plan your entire trip while you’re at it

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Is it possible to successfully split costs on a group trip?

By CNT Editors

Travel Debates is a series in which our editors weigh in on the most contentious issues that arise in-transit, like whether you should ever switch seats on a plane or if you should check your work email while on vacation.

“It’ll be fun,” they say. “We’ll all be together!” Suddenly, you are lured into a group trip. But when the check comes, do you all put your cards down together? 

Group trips can be very meaningful . Travelling with dear friends or family , or some combination of the two, seems like an easy “yes” on paper: transplant your beloveds to a beloved destination and enjoy the ensuing pleasures in their company. But travel is trying. Very rarely does one make it home from a trip without first dipping their toe into the pool of the lowest self (who among us has not snapped at someone after a long journey?). When money is involved – and money is always involved – a host of new challenges may be presented.

How do you split costs on a group trip? There is no right or wrong answer, for everybody’s relationship with their travel companions and with their bank accounts is different. Those inclined to generosity can quickly be taken for granted, and the most budget-conscious among us may end up feeling alienated. Here, our editors weigh in on their approach to the unavoidable, but not unavoidably awkward, task of sharing expenses such as accommodation , group dinners, and more. 

Get on the same page

The most important part of a group trip is setting a budget beforehand – agree upon how much money everyone is willing to spend on core things like accommodation and activities. Once that's out of the way, I think splitting group expenses is pretty easy with payment tracking apps like Splitwise ; rather than splitting every single meal six ways (I want the points, anyway) we take turns footing the bill and tracking who owes what on the group tab via the app. At the end of the trip, we have a clear and easy way to settle up, and typically it's not much if you divide the shared expenses the right way. Shannon McMahon, destinations editor

Ask one friend to shoulder the responsibility –and rack up rewards in the process

The least stressful group trips I’ve been on were the ones where one person generously offered to make their credit card the designated card to pay with (it will definitely rack up some points). This includes the cost of the Airbnb , group meals, and any big shared activity. It’s important to set clear expectations for the group of when everyone will pay their share, whether it be the last day of the trip or within the week following. At the end of the trip, that person divides up the trip cost by the total number of guests and it’s an easy, equal split. This eliminates the very annoying – and sometimes awkward – splitting of multiple cards at the dinner table each night. Venmo comes in handy to quickly send money or to request a specific amount from each group member. Another tip for group trips: always bring some cash for easy on the spot payments and tips. Meaghan Kenny, associate commerce editor  

Don’t sweat the small stuff

There is nothing I loathe more than the dance of splitting the check, and so I tend to fling my card down immediately upon seeing the thing. Some friends will actually exclaim “hey!” upon realising that I’ve paid while they were blinking. In the case of group trips, I have wound up paying more than my fair share on several occasions on account of my own inability to let the bill sit there and this is my cross to bear. But big purchases like the hotel room and the car rental and so forth should be divided between the participating parties and paid in advance if possible. It is never fun to play the role of the debt collector after the fact. Charlie Hobbs, editorial assistant

Fairness calculators

Wondering what’s fair let us help:.

Want to turn a layover into a trip? These 8 stopover programs can help.

Airline stopover programs offer free hotels and other discounts to incentivize longer layovers.

When you’re traveling great distances, you often take connecting flights to intriguing destinations without getting a real chance to experience the culture. You drop in, scope out the airport gift shop and leave.

A few airlines have been working to change that by running “stopover programs.” These initiatives allow travelers to tack more time on their layover at no extra charge, and sometimes even include a free or discounted hotel stay.

“They’re a good way for people to — at no extra cost — see a destination,” said Matthew Kepnes, the travel writer behind the blog Nomadic Matt .

Should travelers be wary of these offers? There’s no such thing as a free lunch, after all, but experts say you can think of it as a form of advertising.

“Usually they exist because they’re sponsored by the home country as a means of promoting tourism,” said Scott Keyes, founder of the flight booking site Going .

Keyes says countries and airlines have a number of reasons for offering free or discounted trips to tourists. No. 1, it’s good advertising. You may be more likely to choose an airline if they have this perk, and you may be more likely to visit a country if you can do it at a discount. Then there’s the influx of tourism dollars from stopover visitors.

Here’s a brief list of places you can go without paying any additional airfare.

Hot springs, wild horses and otherworldly natural beauty await travelers in Iceland, and two airlines offer stopover programs to go see them.

The first is Icelandair , which has offered the program since the ’50s . The program allows travelers — usually on their way to Europe — to spend up to seven days in Iceland before moving on to their final destination.

Second is the new Icelandic airline on the block, Play . The airline offers a “ stayover booking ” option allowing customers on transatlantic flights the option to stay up to 10 days in Iceland on the outbound trip, the return or both.

Stopover in Istanbul , Turkish Airlines’ program, includes a free hotel stay. It’s open to travelers with connections in Istanbul of at least 20 hours. If you’re flying coach, you’re eligible for a night at a four-star hotel. Business class customers can get up to two nights in a five-star hotel. Travelers must book arrangements for their stopover at least 72 hours before their flight, and will need to be approved for a hotel voucher through an application process.

Pause your journey to Central or South America with an interlude of up to seven days in Panama City with the Panama Stopover program from CopaAirlines. On the airline’s flight booking page, customers can select the option to add a stopover in Panama to flights to or from any destination in its network. If you want more time exploring beaches, nightlife and Panamanian cuisine, the airline also offers a second stopover, but it’s not free. According to the website, there “may be an additional cost” of $250 plus taxes and fees.

Unlock a mini trip to one of Europe’s most popular tourist countries with Tap Air Portugal’s Portugal Stopover Program. Unlike most stopover programs, this gives customers two layover destinations to pick: the beachside metropolis Lisbon , or Porto, the gateway to wine country. It also offers customers a 25 percent discount (excluding taxes) on additional domestic flights if you’d like to add a second stopover city to your trip. The program is valid on certain one-way and round-trip itineraries during the flight over or return, and can be accessed on the website’s “ book a flight ” tab. Click on “add a free TAP Stopover” to see whether your trip is eligible.

Qatar Airways stopover packages , in partnership with tourism organization Discover Qatar , include heavily discounted hotel reservations to sweeten the deal. Packages range from the standard option, offering travelers four-star hotel stays starting at $14 a night per person (based on double room share), to a luxury beachside option that includes a five-star hotel stay, breakfast and all-inclusive Doha Sands Beach access from $144. Travelers can book on the Qatar Airways website, and add stays up to four nights. The program is subject to availability and is only eligible for Qatar Airways passengers with at least 12 hours transit time in Doha.

Iberia, the flag carrier of Spain, advertises the chance to explore the country’s capital city with the Stopover Hola Madrid program. First, select a route that stops in Madrid ; next, you can select up to six nights to stay; then book and browse discounted offers available to stopover customers, including tours, food and transportation. The stopover can be selected for the outbound or return flight. While the airline website says the program is available on most routes, you may need to play with dates to find flights with stopover availability.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE is home to two lauded airlines, each with programs to entice stopover travelers.

Etihad’s Abu Dhabi Stopover markets itself as a chance to explore the country’s capital city with discounted hotel stays. The more budget-friendly “amazing stopover” offers stays up to two nights at four-star hotels, while the premium version offers up to 40 percent off luxury four or five-star hotels for two to four nights.

Emirates has “Dubai Connect,” a program advertised to customers with layovers of at least eight hours (or six if you’re flying business class) and includes a complimentary hotel stay, some meals and transportation to and from the airport. There are a number of stipulations for qualifying for the program; for example, you must have a connection flight with the shortest layover available (so if there’s one with a four-hour layover to your final destination available, you won’t qualify for the freebies). Make sure to read the fine print before booking online. Already booked an eligible Emirates flight? You can add the stopover to existing reservations.

Choose your own adventure

You don’t actually need an airline to offer a stopover program to take advantage of a layover. Kepnes says you may be able to build your own stopover program for cheaper. All you have to do is search for flights with really long layovers in places you’d like to visit that don’t require too many hurdles to get out of the airport.

Last year, instead of finding the fastest or cheapest flight from Thailand to the United States, I booked one with a nine-hour layover in Tokyo ; I took the train into the city, ate delicious ramen, went shopping and even hit up a hot spring spa before heading back to the airport for my flight home. The year before that, I did something similar in Istanbul and highly recommend such side quests to anyone up for an adventure.

Where to go

Our favorite destinations: These 12 destinations are at the top of our wish list for where to go this year, without crowds. In 2023, we explored an Alaskan bear paradise, Brooklyn’s famous pizzerias and a hidden gem in Italy, among other highlights ..

Travel like a local: Residents share their favorite places in our top city guides: New Orleans , Rome , Tokyo and Mexico City .

National parks: This comprehensive guide has details on all 63 U.S. national parks. For a deep dive into five of the most well-known, you can listen to the Field Trip podcast . Then explore tips from locals for visiting Yosemite , Glacier and Everglades .

Tales from the road: Dolly Parton has opened a new resort at her theme park complex in Tennessee, while “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have a new hotel in Waco . Road-trippers may be just as excited to see the cartoon beaver at Buc-ee’s , and bargain-hunters should consider a stop at the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Ala.